Processing banknotes as separate deposits is generally known. In preparing the deposits for processing by a banknote processing machine, data or information of each deposit is detected and made available to the bank note processing machine through a middleware system. Such data or information includes information on the depositor, account number, and the quantity and value of the banknotes forming the deposit. To permit uninterruptible processing by the banknote processing machine, the deposits are separated from each other by separation cards inserted between different deposits. The banknote processing machine recognizes these separation cards, commonly known as header cards, and thus, identifies the beginning of a new deposit during processing.
In casinos or other gaming establishments, customers enter currency or tickets into slot machines, which include bill validators that check for authenticity of such currency and tickets and that determine the denominations of such currency and the values of such tickets. When the bill validators determine that the currency or tickets are authentic, the slot machines will accept the currency or tickets and convey the accepted currency or tickets to a container therein. Sometime later, the container is removed from the slot machine and taken to a count room for further processing. In the count room, a new separator card is printed with information identifying the container or identifying information on an existing separator card is linked to the information identifying the container, and the separator card is placed with the currency and tickets from the container. The separator card and the currency are then placed in a processing machine with other currency, tickets, and separator cards, and the processing machine counts the currency and tickets, determines the denominations of the currency and values of the tickets, reconfirms the authenticity of the currency and tickets, and associates the currency and tickets with the container from which they came based on a position of the separator card among the currency and tickets. Similarly, customers provide currency or tickets to casino employees at table games, and the casino employees enter such currency or tickets into table game bill acceptors, which perform processes similar to those performed by bill validators and which also have containers for storing currency and tickets that are processed similarly to the corresponding containers in slot machines.
In known methods for processing currency, such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,917,930 A, account data associated with a currency deposit is collected at the time of a deposit and associated with a separator card, which is placed with the currency deposit. The account data includes the number of individual currency notes in the deposit, the total currency value of the deposit, and information associating the deposit to a single commercial transaction or a particular recipient. The account data is associated with the separator card either through linking a bar code number unique to the specific separator card or by encoding the account data directly on the separator card. The deposit can then be stacked in the processing machine with the separator card linked to or encoded with the account data.
In a banking-type environment, which often includes armored carriers or other types of note handling or consolidating establishments, notes are counted many times and at different intervals. A retail merchant, for example, typically counts currency notes on currency counting devices often referred to as “note discriminators” or “currency counters.” In certain scenarios, the currency notes are again counted, or counted for the first time, on such currency counting devices when the currency notes are received from the retail merchant by a bank or other consolidator. Some of these currency counting devices are capable of capturing unique information, such as the serial number of the banknote.
A casino environment often includes activities such as those related to “table game” systems and processes, “kiosk” systems and processes, and “non-gaming” systems and processes. The table game process often begins with the removal of a canister from the table, inside which, notes captured by a table game employee, such as a dealer, are disposed. These banknotes are removed and prepared for processing in the a count room, which is often operated by the casino or a contractor thereof. Maintaining the integrity of currency in relation to a table game identifier, which is disposed with or on the canister, and which identifies the particular table game from which the canister was removed, is paramount. In the case of kiosk processes or non-gaming processes, such processes can be similar to table game processes, except that kiosks often utilize a different canister configuration and non-gaming systems often utilize deposit bags that are issued to each employee of the casino.